UK and Israel offer to send aid after earthquake leaves over 1,700 dead in Turkey and Syria
"A request was also received to do this for the many who were injured in the earthquake in Syria,” Netanyahu said, which led him to “instruct that this be done as well.”
Israel prepared to send aid to Turkey and Syria on Monday following a massive earthquake which also hit both countries, leaving over 1,700 dead in total.
Turkish authorities said at least 1,000 people were killed in Turkey and more than 5,383 injured, while UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 320 people had been killed in Syria.
The 7.8-magnitude quake was centred near the Turkish provincial capital of Gaziantep, some 55 miles from the Syrian border. Residential buildings in both Syria and Turkey were seen collapsing, leaving scored of people dead. According to President Erdogan, over 2,800 buildings collapsed, mostly in the the Gaziantep and Kahramanmaras provinces in the southern part of the country.
Turkey-Syria Earthquake; A Powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake badly destroyed major provinces of #Turkey & Syria. Death toll rises to 1,639 while 6,000+ injured & this may further rise.. several remain trapped under rubble and heavy equipment is needed to rescue.#TurkeyEarthquake pic.twitter.com/vxfiOOvBUi
— Khurram Zubair (@Khurram__z) February 6, 2023
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu offered his condolences to the Turkish people, saying: “At the request of the Turkish government, I have instructed all authorities to make immediate preparations to provide medical, and search and rescue assistance.”
“The Foreign and Defence ministers have already been in contact with their counterparts and we will – in the coming hours – agree on the dispatching of a delegation as soon as possible. A request was also received to do this for the many who were injured in the earthquake in Syria,” Netanyahu said, which led him to “instruct that this be done as well.”
Israel has no diplomatic ties with Syria and is technically in a state of war with its neighbour. According to Haaretz Daily, Israel will send tents and medicine to those injured on Syrian soil and will offer treatment to Syrians who are willing to be treated at Israeli hospitals. The request to offer aid to Syria was reportedly made by Russia.
The earthquake was felt as far as Lebanon and Israel. A second 7.5 magnitude earthquake rocket Turkey around noon, also near the Kahramanmaras province.
Joseph Bali, a Turkish Jew from the city of Marmaris in Western Turkey, said his area had not been hit, but that the situation along the border with Syria was “really bad.”
“Most Turkish Jews live in the Western and central part of the country, so we haven’t heard reports of anyone in the community being hurt yet,” Bali told Jewish News.
Watch: A video shared on social media shows the moment a building in #Turkey collapsed after an #earthquake hit the country and nearby Syria. https://t.co/bENgkTTjkH pic.twitter.com/MezDNB31wh
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) February 6, 2023
Following Netanyahu’s directive, the IDF said its Home Front Command was “leading the preparations” in cooperation with all the IDF branches and the Ministry of Defence.
Prime Minister Sunak also offered to help Turkey, saying: “My thoughts are with the people of Türkiye and Syria this morning, particularly with those first responders working so valiantly to save those trapped by the earthquake. The UK stands ready to help in whatever way we can.”
Earthquake destroys residential building in Turkey https://t.co/HZlIK5TbOq
— Jotam Confino (@mrconfino) February 6, 2023
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant spoke to his Turkish counterpart in the morning, “assuring him” that Israel “stands with the people of Turkey on this difficult day. We are prepared to deploy search and rescue teams and aid. I send my condolences to affected families and prayers to the injured.”
United Hatzalah of Israel issued a similar statement, saying it was currently preparing to send a relief mission to Turkey.
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
Rescue workers saved an injured child from the rubble of collapsed buildings after a major earthquake hit Syria, killing dozens and injuring hundreds https://t.co/d3s6tUGIrM pic.twitter.com/iky9r0smB7
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 6, 2023
“As soon as we heard about the scale of the destruction and tragedy, we immediately began to assess the situation and prepare an advanced jump team to provide relief in the wake of the devastating earthquake that has claimed the lives of hundreds of people,” CEO of United Hatzalah Eli Pollack said.
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen Tweeted his condolences in a message in Turkish, saying Israel was preparing to send emergency aid.
The situation in Northwestern Syria was described as a “disaster” by the White Helmets, a civil defence organisation offering aid to victims of the Syrian civil war in rebel-held areas.
“Many buildings in different cities and villages in northwestern Syria collapsed, destroyed by this earthquake. Our teams responded to all the sites and the buildings – and still now, many families are under the rubble. We are trying to save them but it’s a very hard task for us,” Ismail Al Abdullah from the White Helmets told BBC.
“We need help. We need the international community to do something, to help us, to support us. Northwestern Syria is now a disaster area. We need help from everyone to save our people,” Al Abdullah added.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
